Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Lewes (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Lewes Castle, Pells Pool, and Barbican House. Also, be sure to include Lewes Priory in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Lewes (England).
Table of Contents
Lewes Castle
Medieval castle in Lewes, England. Lewes Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Originally called Bray Castle, it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliffe. It stands on a man-made mount just to the north of the high street in Lewes, and is constructed from local limestone and flint blocks.[1]
Address: 169 High St, BN7 1YE Lewes
Pells Pool
Public swimming pool in Lewes, England. Pells Pool is a public outdoor swimming baths or lido in Lewes, East Sussex, England. The original structure was built in 1860 making it the oldest freshwater outdoor public swimming baths in the United Kingdom that is still operating.[2]
Address: Brook Street, BN7 2BA Lewes
Barbican House
Building in Lewes, England. Barbican House is a sixteenth century house next to Lewes Castle. It is now used as a museum, and is the headquarters of the Sussex Archaeological Society. The house is a Grade II* listed building.[3]
Address: 169 High Street, Lewes
Lewes Priory
Priory. Lewes Priory is a part-demolished medieval Cluniac priory in Lewes, East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The ruins have been designated a Grade I listed building.[4]
Address: Cockshut Road, Lewes
Lewes War Memorial
Sculpture in Lewes, England. Lewes War Memorial is a war memorial at the top of School Hill in the centre of Lewes in East Sussex, prominently sited at the junction of High Street and Market Street. It commemorates 251 men from Lewes who died in the First World War, and 126 who died in the Second World War. It was unveiled in 1922 and became a listed building in 1985.
The memorial was designed by the artist Vernon March. He also designed the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Cenotaph in Cape Town, and Diamond War Memorial in Northern Ireland.
It was constructed in the centre of Lewes, on a site formerly occupied by an ornate lamppost. It comprises a Portland stone obelisk with bronze statuary. The obelisk stands on a cruciform stone plinth, with steps between the pairs of piers leading up to bronze shields. It is topped by a bronze statue of a winged Victory standing on a globe, facing east towards the fields of Flanders, holding up a laurel wreath. The base features two bronze statues: Liberty seated to the west holding a torch, and Peace seated to the east with a dove on her shoulder. To one side of the figure of Peace is a bronze shield facing south east, inscribed "IN MEMORY OF / THE MEN OF LEWES / WHO DIED / FOR THEIR COUNTRY / AND FOR MANKIND / IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 1918". The three shields between the other piers of the memorial bear 251 names of the fallen from the First World War.
The memorial was unveiled in 1922 by General Sir Henry Sclater, a local landowner who was also General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command in 1916 to 1919. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Lewes, Henry Southwell.
A quotation from Winston Churchill – "THIS WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR" – was carved into the north face of the obelisk in 1950. The monument was rededicated in 1981, after plaques listing the names of 127 fallen from the Second World War were added to the north and south faces of the plinth, with an additional inscription added to the south face of the obelisk: "LIKEWISE / REMEMBER / THOSE OF / THIS TOWN / WHO GAVE / THEIR LIVES / IN THE WAR / 1939–1945".
It became a Grade II listed building in 1985, and was promoted to Grade II* in October 2014.[5]
Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum
Museum. The Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum was a visitor attraction in Halland, East Sussex, England. As of October 2018, it is closed to the public.[6]
Address: Harveys Lane, BN8 5AF Lewes
Lewes Town Hall
Lewes Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Lewes, East Sussex, England. The structure, which is the meeting place of Lewes Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.[7]
Railway Land
Nature reserve. Railway Land, Lewes is a 10.9-hectare Local Nature Reserve in Lewes in East Sussex. It is owned by Lewes District Council and managed by the council and the Railway Land Wildlife Trust.
This former railway goods yard has diverse habitats including grassland, wet willow woodland, floodplain grazing meadows, reedbeds, a network of drainage ditches and a tidal winterbourne stream. Bird species include woodpeckers, common kestrels and common kingfishers.
There is access from Railway Lane.[8]
Anne of Cleves House
Museum in Lewes, England. Anne of Cleves House is a 16th-century timber-framed Wealden hall house located in East Sussex, England. It formed part of Queen Anne's annulment settlement from King Henry VIII in 1541, although she never visited the property. It was restored by the architect Walter Godfrey.
Owned and operated as a museum by the Sussex Archaeological Society under the operating name "Sussex Past", it is home to wide-ranging collections of furniture and artefacts of Sussex interest. These include one of the best exhibitions on wealden iron making including large machinery such as a hammer from Etchingham Forge and cannon boring apparatus together with a collection of iron fire backs. The bedroom and kitchen are furnished to resemble their appearance at the time of Anne's ownership. The house is open to the public and plays host to functions throughout the year, including parties, weddings and small informal concerts.[9]
Address: 52 Southover St, BN7 1JA Lewes
Malling Down
Nature reserve in Lewes, England. Malling Down is an 85-hectare nature reserve on the eastern outskirts of Lewes in East Sussex. It is managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. It is part of Lewes Downs, which is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The South Downs site is chalk grassland, which is one of Britain's richest habitats for flowers. There are many orchids including the widespread common spotted and fragrant and rarer ones such as the musk and frog orchid.[10]
St Pancras Church
Church in Kingston near Lewes, England. St Pancras Church is the parish church of Kingston near Lewes in East Sussex, England. The church building was built in the 13th century and is protected as a Grade II* listed building.[11]
Address: The Street, BN7 3PD Lewes